Let me just start by saying that I've never really been a fan of Sonic the Hedgehog. I've never played any of the games beyond watching Let's Plays, and I've only seen a few episodes of the previous two TV shows. I would like to like Sonic, don't get me wrong, but looking at the Sonic series as a whole, it feels like his creators just don't know what to do with him. Every incarnation of Sonic over the last several years has been wildly different in tone, setting, and art style, resulting in a big, jumbled mess of uncoordinated ideas that are never given time to breathe or flesh out. It's like they just don't care.
"Sonic Boom" is no different. It certainly has its moments- Orbot and Cubot are adorable, the new character designs are a nice change of pace, and the art style is clean and colorful. The plot itself, however, has a lot to be desired. There are no stakes whatsoever in this show. Dr. Eggman has no big goals or motivation for villainy beyond "destroy Sonic and his pals", and even then he's never a real threat. At least his previous incarnations had aspirations of world conquest. Eggman's less of a villain and more of an annoying neighbor or school bully with a robot army. It's like he's just playing "the villain" without any real villainy, and he's boring because of it.
The other characters are no better. Their personalities can all be summed up in one word: Sonic=Asshole, Tails=Smart, Amy=Girl, Knuckles=Dumb, Sticks=Crazy. While the jokes are genuinely funny more often than not, they're delivered like they're being read off of cue cards. Facial animations are stiff and rarely ever exaggerated beyond their resting face. The opening theme is generic and forgettable. In fact, everything from the writing, the acting, and the animation all feel half-baked. Sonic doesn't even run all that fast; they just animate him running at normal speed with blurring effects. Also, Sticks' constantly-cracking voice is extremely annoying.
Overall, it's a decent show with a lot going for it, but sadly lacks the compassion and energy of others shows before it. If it just had a bit more polish, it'd definitely be a welcome breath of fresh air for an otherwise mediocre franchise. I can sit through most episodes alright, but I wouldn't put it in my top ten cartoons if given the choice.
Lots of Potential but Lacking Polish
Let me just start by saying that I've never really been a fan of Sonic the Hedgehog. I've never played any of the games beyond watching Let's Plays, and I've only seen a few episodes of the previous two TV shows. I would like to like Sonic, don't get me wrong, but looking at the Sonic series as a whole, it feels like his creators just don't know what to do with him. Every incarnation of Sonic over the last several years has been wildly different in tone, setting, and art style, resulting in a big, jumbled mess of uncoordinated ideas that are never given time to breathe or flesh out. It's like they just don't care.
"Sonic Boom" is no different. It certainly has its moments- Orbot and Cubot are adorable, the new character designs are a nice change of pace, and the art style is clean and colorful. The plot itself, however, has a lot to be desired. There are no stakes whatsoever in this show. Dr. Eggman has no big goals or motivation for villainy beyond "destroy Sonic and his pals", and even then he's never a real threat. At least his previous incarnations had aspirations of world conquest. Eggman's less of a villain and more of an annoying neighbor or school bully with a robot army. It's like he's just playing "the villain" without any real villainy, and he's boring because of it.
The other characters are no better. Their personalities can all be summed up in one word: Sonic=Asshole, Tails=Smart, Amy=Girl, Knuckles=Dumb, Sticks=Crazy. While the jokes are genuinely funny more often than not, they're delivered like they're being read off of cue cards. Facial animations are stiff and rarely ever exaggerated beyond their resting face. The opening theme is generic and forgettable. In fact, everything from the writing, the acting, and the animation all feel half-baked. Sonic doesn't even run all that fast; they just animate him running at normal speed with blurring effects. Also, Sticks' constantly-cracking voice is extremely annoying.
Overall, it's a decent show with a lot going for it, but sadly lacks the compassion and energy of others shows before it. If it just had a bit more polish, it'd definitely be a welcome breath of fresh air for an otherwise mediocre franchise. I can sit through most episodes alright, but I wouldn't put it in my top ten cartoons if given the choice.